ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, July 24, 1996 TAG: 9607240019
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: Community Sports
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: CHAD WILLIS STAFF WRITER
Most 8-year-old children will tell you when asked that they want to be an astronaut, doctor, firefighter or even a movie star. Blacksburg's Joselyn Travis instead opted to pursue the dream of a national track and field championship.
"I was out mowing the yard one day when Joselyn came up to me and said, 'Daddy, I want to be a national champion'," Reggie Travis, Joselyn's father and coach, said. "She was only 8 at the time. I just looked at her and thought to myself that I better get out there and help her because she was going to the track with or without me."
That was five years ago. In the time that has passed, the now teen-age Travis has achieved the lofty goal of being the best in the country in the standing long jump, winning the Hershey's National Track & Field Championship in 1993 with a leap of 7-7 1/4 and again in '95 with an 8-1 effort. This year, her best jump has been recorded at 8-5, a distance that puts her at the top of an elite class.
"Every year she's won the title, her jump has been the longest in the country for the entire year," Reggie Travis said. "This year she should once again be at the top."
With a couple of championship crowns already perched on her young head, Travis has decided to shift her focus from being the best in the nation at one sport to being its top all-around athlete. Hence, her move to the pentathlon for this year's Hershey state meet. The pentathlon will test Travis' skill in five events - shot put, high jump, long jump, 100-meter hurdles and the 800-meter run. If she finishes in the top five in her age group, Travis will be invited to compete for her third Hershey's national title.
"Joselyn has always been a great athlete and a little ahead of the other girls her age," Reggie Travis said. "We just felt like she should switch to the pentathlon because it better uses her all-around abilities. It got a little boring for her to do the same thing all the time. This will give her a variety of things to work on."
According to Joselyn, the hardest part of her training regimen is sometimes staying focused on the task at hand.
"It's hard sometimes to practice when you've got other things you want to be doing," Travis said. "But I think it's a lot of fun. Continuously practicing the same thing gets boring ... that's one reason I like the pentathlon more."
Another reason Travis favors the demanding event is because of one of her role models, Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Travis said that some day she would like to be known as world's greatest female athlete, a label often placed upon Joyner-Kersee.
But win or lose, Reggie Travis said the most rewarding part of the process has been to see her mature.
"Joselyn has always had a great work ethic and competing in these events has strengthened her character," Reggie Travis said. "She's always been a straight-A student and a really good kid. I think that she's done a really good job balancing all that she needs to do."
GOLDEN BOY: Blacksburg's Preston Hall walked away from this year's Commonwealth Games with his fifth consecutive gold medal in folkstyle wrestling and his second straight gold in freestyle. The 12-year-old Hall has now won nine medals (seven gold, two silver) in the Commonwealth Games.
Hall, an 85-pound wrestler from Keith Mourlam's VA. TEK Youth Wrestling team, has twice been named a finalist for the Citco Athlete of the Year Award for the games. The grappler completed this past season with a 52-5 (.912) mark and recently captured the gold in the Elementary and Junior divisions at the Roanoke Stars Classic.
If you have an idea for a story or note about recreational sports, call Chad Willis at 381-1672 in Montgomery County or Radford or 1-800-346-1234, extension 672 elsewhere or fax to 381-1656.
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ALAN KIM Staff Blacksburg's Joselyn Travis practicesby CNBfor the 800-meter run.